Chapter 198 - 198)Basile

"What the fu-"

"It's been a while, Nathaniel," the man standing in front of him said. He had one of his hands in his pocket while the other held a jacket over his shoulders. He had blonde hair that looked golden under the sunlight. A smile that radiated pure and utter confidence. His presence was similar to Luke's but at the same time, there was a sharp contrast. A juxtaposition if you will. Physically he was just as attractive as Luke but their mentalities were obviously different.

Luke was more carefree and didn't really notice anyone's gaze. Looks meant nothing to him, fear, joy, sadness, all of these were nothing but mere emotions that everyone experiences. He was aware of them, but at the same time, he didn't let them control his decisions. To not do something because of fear? That was absurd for him. Of course, unless it meant taking a walk in the dark, but even that is covered because of his Night vision.

The man that stood in front of Nate KNEW he was attractive. He knew that people would fall for him, he acknowledged people's gaze and sometimes even played with them. It was simply and clean-cut for him. There was nothing he couldn't do, nothing he couldn't take, no one he couldn't beat, no one he couldn't claim.

"It's Nate," he replied while slapping the man's hand away. "It has been ever since I left the family. I do not have any connections with that family, so please respect my choice and call me by my name,"

"Ow, why so rude?" the man acted as if his hand hurt, "respect your choice? Hmm alright then Nate, let's go somewhere for a bit," the man gestured for Nate to follow him. Confused as to what brought the man's sudden appearance, Nate simply decided to follow him. You see, Nate and Luke were similar in many ways, both of them had run away from their families, albeit for completely different reasons.

"What are you even doing here Basile..." Nate asked as he stared at the symbol of his past. If his parents sent Basile to talk to Nate, then it was truly a cruel move. Basile was someone important to Nate, at least throughout his childhood.

"Hmm? It's been a long time since I've seen you, what I can't even visit you?" Basile replied with a smile, "I heard from a little birdy that you're quite famous. You and you're friend,"

As soon as the last few words were said, a spark went up Nate's back. What was that? Why did he feel something, it was as if his body was reacting to something, but he wasn't sure what it was. Was it because Basil knew of Luke's existence.

"Ha..ha....I guess you could say that" Nate let out a nervous laugh, "Wait, do you play Genesis as well?" Nate asked diverting the spotlight.

"Hmm? Yeah, I've ascended so there's that, but it was only recently so it isn't much of a feat," Basile replied casually as if the whole thing was a minor feat that could be achieved by anyone. It was strange, as Nate looked at Basile's back, memories flashed through his mind.

It was fun. Playing around without a care in the world, ignorant to the harsh reality of life, oblivious to the cruel gazes thrown. If only he knew how his family would proceed to treat him. As much as he tried to hide it, Nate was slightly envious of Luke's ability to ignore the cold looks. It reminded him of his childhood when things were simple and easy.

"Huh wait, you've ascended?? That's amazing! You're probably higher level than me ahah," Nate replied as he snapped out of his daze. He looked at Basile's pompous expression, even though Nate could only look at his side profile, he could imagine what kind of a face he wore.

"Stop," Basile said as he abruptly held back from taking his next step. "Do you know them?" he asked without looking back. Both his hands still remained as they were, one in his pocket, the other holding his jacket.

"What? Know who?" Nate asked confused as to what Basile was talking about suddenly.

"I see," Basile replied, "You guys kinda suck at this whole tailing thing. You should definitely consider retiring,"

"You sound confident, it irks me. Maybe I can cut through that look of yours. A pretty city boy like you shouldn't be talking to someone like me, especially in that tone," a man said as he stepped out from a lane behind them. He had a white mask and was dressed in streetwear. As he stepped out, three other individuals did so as well, all of them were hiding in different locations, but they managed to co-ordinate without speaking a single word.

"Kekh," Basile let out a laugh, making a vein pop out on the masked man's face. "I'm sorry this is stupid, what are yall Jabbawockeez? You gon do a little breakdance for us?"

"You fkn brat!" The man cursed out as he leaned forward with the intent to dash towards Basile. However, just before he could dash, a sound echoed throughout the streets. It was Basile's foot, he finally placed it down. His eyes were cold and he had a devilish smile on his face, for Nate, it was like seeing Luke when he was mad.

"Oy. Did I ask you to move? No. Did I ALLOW you to do so? No. Yet you come here, in front of me, and disturb this moment? I will fckin squash all your heads. One. By. One,"

The next minute went by in a flash. Nate stood there and watched with a horrified expression. Nate saw Luke in fights, too many times to count, however, it was different with Basile. Luke's biggest advantage would be his balance and unpredictability. Basile, on the other hand, had monstrous strength and reflexes. He had next to no technique and fought as he saw fit.

"Brother....." Nate muttered as he looked at Basile. Both his hands were still occupied in the same manner as before, he had one foot over the man that argued with him. Right behind the man were the others, all of whom were completely knocked out.

Luke was calmer and smoother about the entire fight thing, it was more natural to him. It was like a calling, however, for Basile it was more like a need, something to conquer. Something he WANTS to do. Externally, there were basically no nuances between Luke and Basile, but as someone who knew both of them, it would be weird to not notice how juxtaposed the two of them were. Basile definitely served as a foil to Luke, or perhaps even the other way round.

That wasn't all, Nate knew of Basile's fighting capabilities but this was something else. His brother had just done something that Nate couldn't believe. Perhaps if it was Luke, then it would be normal, but the blood-splattered around, the injuries, it was something Nate's best friend would never do, even if he could.

"Oh my, it seems like I went a little overboard," Basile said as he very lightly kicked the body of the man, he noticed that none of them showed any sign of waking up or even moving. "Whatever, it's not like I care. Tell me, little brother, why was someone else after you?"

"After me? I don't know what you mean, I assumed they wanted to ro-.....what do you mean someone else?" Nate asked as his eyes widened. The cogs synchronized, he could now see the whole scheme. Basile was never here just for a chat, there was no way his family would send out someone like him for something as small as talking.

"You were always the smarter one Nathaniel. I hated that a little, but everyone's gotta have their strengths, and it's unfortunate yours isn't very useful," Basile said as walked past Nate and stopped.

As soon as he heard those words, Nate recalled something. Something specific. No matter how close he was to Basile, or how much the two of them valued each other. There was something Basile always valued more, and that was the family. He showed absolute loyalty to the family, and no matter the task, he wouldn't refuse it.

It definitely stung a little, to drag his little brother back home, someone he cherished and enjoyed the younger days of his life with. Someone he shared his own blood with, but there was nothing he could do. He just had to listen to the family head, refusal was foolish. How could he? What would he be without them?

*PHAT*

Nate felt something hit him on the back of his neck. His vision slowly turned to nothingness as he lost the feeling in his entire body. Just as he was about to completely faint, he mustered the remaining energy to say something. "Lu....ke....."

*Ding*

He stood face to face with Blade, while he couldn't exactly place what went wrong, he was close. However, before he could come to a conclusion, Night received a notification. It wasn't any achievement or anything. It was a message. A message that stopped his heartbeat. It was from Nate, it was his live location and right under that was the text that read, "Careful,"

"........." Without showing any signs of hesitation, Night took out one of those red crystals and crushed it, sending him back to the sacred grounds, right outside the gate where he placed his hands.